“ And the Lord said to Moses, ‘ Tell the people of Israel; in the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall observe a complete rest for remembering, a holy assembly announced with blasts on the shofar (trumpet). Do not do any kind of work on that day- Lev.23:23”. We of God’s church have always observed this holiday. Some, especially the recent comers in the Church will wonder why we have to do it, and yet, it is an old testament practice. How does it tie in with the church today? What exactly does it point to? Many of our opposers have accused us of keeping Jewish traditions and so being out of touch with Christ. Are we? (For details on this, you can read our message, “The spirit of God’s Sabbaths”). Whatever is uppermost in God’s mind right now is to restore His kingdom here on the Earth. How is He going to do it? Even though many of us may not have gotten it this way, the truth is, ‘you and I were created for this sole purpose of being used by God to rule His restored kingdom on this Earth’. But before we can rule, we must first be like God Himself-Gen.1:26”, i.e, be made spirit beings packed with wisdom and power. When we compare God and His life with the world and the life there-in, we see two totally opposite lives, differing in every step. If these are the same people God will use to restore His kingdom, and right now, they are opposed to His way, how then will they rule a kingdom whose life they hate? If it is the same God who created them, how did they arrive at opposing Him? God created man, a free moral agent, and so has given him, the freedom of choice. So, it takes one’s choice to be like God (Read our message, “The everlasting foundation” for details). After creating our first parents, God gave them room to choose between His life and that of Satan symbolized by the two trees, i.e, The tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. We all know that Adam made a wrong choice, thus, making a wrong start. God also honoured his choice and, “…allowed him to walk in his own way-Acts.14:16”. So, from the very beginning, man chose to oppose God after accepting Satan’s lie-Gen.3:4-6. This stopped God’s plan of preparing the man to be like Him in order to have him rule.
THE REDEMPTION PLAN
For man to become like God, he needs God’s own mind which can enable him to think, desire and do the same way God does. It takes God’s spirit working in man’s heart to bring about this kind of mind. But man had to first choose God’s way for God to give him of His spirit. Now that, Adam chose a different life and received Satan’s spirit, God through His fore plan had to intervene and put man back on track, for He must achieve His purpose. This He began doing by, in olden days, “…. Many years, bearing with men, and continually warning them by the spirit through the prophets-Neh.9:29-30”. In the midst of a rebellious generation, God’s prophets proclaimed His life for man but would receive little or no attention from the hearers. Lastly, He sent His only son Jesus Christ who came reminding man that, “The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand-Mark.1:15”. Those who heard and believed, God made into a church, a people in whose hearts, He put His spirit, and are now being created spiritually(for details on this, read our message, “Are you a Christian?”). But being in Satan’s world, they keep straying by listening to the ever broadcasting Satan who works through the flesh which desires against the spirit-Gal.5:17. But there are always a minority who continue in the way, and are the ones whom God uses to perpetrate the proclamation of His purpose for man. What has this redemption plan to do with the trumpets?
A TWO-SIDED FEAST
With this tireless enemy, accompanied by our tireless fleshly pulls, remaining true to God’s way has all through been very difficult to the majority church members, and we of this present age are now in the danger of collapsing for, our Lord is telling us that we, “…are blind, naked, and wretched-Rev.3:17”, yet we are not aware. With the Church being the only light in the world, and now having turned blind, “…..great darkness has covered the Earth, and a deep darkness has overtaken the people-Isa.60:2”, so that, “….they grope for the wall like the blind…..stumbling at noon as in the night- Isa.59:10”. What is this groping about? People want peace and happiness; they want to cohabit harmoniously, but their efforts are only bearing the fruit of wars, fighting and more divisions, and this because of rejecting the way in which they were created. This is why, the minority of us who are striving to remain in the right way have also been commissioned by God to loudly proclaim the true life, for He tells us to, “ Arise and shine, for our light has come, and the glory of the Lord has rose upon us-Isa.60:1”. This is the one side which we are reminded of when we observe the feast of trumpet. How? A trumpet is blown for many different reasons. It can be blown as an alarm for war; for calling people to assemble; for a time of victory, or even as a mark of a certain Historic event. As the world continues to move further from the true life, the evil outcome of the wrong life are devastating. Whole nations are crumbling in ruins, the like of Syria, Iraq, Somali , Libya, just to name but a few. Incurable diseases are all over. Famine, pollution, natural catastrophes and above all, the inability of man to live peacefully with each other which has brought to everyone, not a little stress causing great health problems. We of God’s church are warning the world, reminding them of the causes of all these problems and pointing to the only way to permanent solution, for our God is telling men through us, “don’t look for solution from any other person, for you will not get. Turn to me”, for, “I am the Lord your God(creator), who teaches you to profit, who leads you in the way you should go. If only you can hearken to my voice, then your peace would flow like a river-Isa.48:17”. This proclamation by us is a trumpet, and the one side which we remember when observing the feast. Our Lord commands us saying, “Cry aloud, spare not, lift up your voice like a trumpet; declare to my people their sins-Isa.58:1”. Yes, we are right now trumpeting a warning to the world about a coming time of trouble, the like of which has never been witnessed, except people turn from their destructive ways; and we don’t see them doing it. Joel talks about it saying, “Blow a trumpet in Zion, sound the alarm on my holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the Earth tremble, for the day of the Lord is coming………a day of darkness-Joel.2:1-2”. What makes it dark? Why tremble? As evils continue, wars of very destructive magnitude will arise, for he continues to say, concerning the fighting armies, “ Fire devours before them, and behind them a flame burns. Before they strike, the land is as beautiful as the Garden of Eden; but after striking, it is a desolate wilderness, and nothing escapes them-verse.3”. Prophet Jeremiah was also allowed to see this future time and had this to say, “ My anguish, my anguish;…my heart is beating wildly; I can’t keep silent. For I hear the sound of the trumpet, an alarm for war. Disaster follows disaster…Jerem.4:19-21”. Brethren, as we observe the feast of trumpet this year, it should primarily be reminding us of this warning. The louder part of it now is that of, whoever hears to, “..flee from Babylon, let everyone safe their soul, be not cut off in her punishment -Jerem.51:6”. Because of the limitations of our carnal minds, the cares of this world and the ensuing physical dangers are more real to most of us, than the Godly life in which we are training as a Church. We seem to go more by what we taste(food), sexual joys, drunkenness, and standing before fellow men. This leaves us not allowing God to continue creating us to the finished beings He wanted, who can rule in His soon to be restored kingdom. The right now trumpet is awakening our minds to remember that, if we don’t resist the physical, and always treat it according to God’s instructions, we will destroy ourselves and “…..surely die-Gen.2:17”. But as things look, very few, even the Church members are getting it. We seem to be going more towards the world and its care, in fear of our fellow men that, going the heavenly way, in fear of God who alone can give us life. For this reason, destruction is almost eminent. Will God allow it to happen, and have even the obedient few to perish with the world?
SIDE TWO OF THE TRUMPETS
When Christ had finished His work of sounding the trumpet (preaching the gospel), before He was crucified, He gave His disciples this promise, and He is now giving those of His church now. Everything around us is fearful, as we see the lingering destruction with men turning extremely violent, butchering each other like world beasts. But with this, Our Lord promised, and is promising, saying, “ Let not your hearts be troubled; believe in God, believe also in me,…………..for though am going, I shall come again- John.14:1,3”. Brethren, as we saw, the right now trumpeting is the alarm of war and destruction, which is cautioning us to hide in God by living in His word. We also see this destructive life extending to a climax where by, if allowed to continue any further, “…no single life will be saved-Mat.24:22”. It is for the sake of saving those who have chosen to obey God that Christ will return, and His return will fulfill that uppermost desire in God’s mind right now, for He will usher in the Kingdom. When will this be? After everything in the today’s life will seem threatening, when it will now be eminent that the world and the life there-in is coming to extinction, “after the tribulation of those days,……….they will see the son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory; and what? Continue please. And He will send out His angel with a LOUD TRUMPET call-Mat.24:29-31”. Are we there? As we observe the feast right now, with all these alarming incidences, even though they are worrisome, we do celebrate with great joy. Joy! How can we rejoice in the midst of bad news all around? Our joy is based on this promise of our Lord, and in hope of its fulfillment, we lift our eyes beyond now, to then, when we will say, “Lo, this is our God, we have waited for Him, that He might save us; this is the Lord, we have waited for Him; lets rejoice in His salvation-Isa.25:9”. So for now, though things are threatening, like David, as we base on this promise, we say, “ The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want…….;even though I pass through the shadow of the valley of death, I will fear no evil-Psalm.23:1-3”. It is this hope that makes the feast of trumpet, a time of great joy, for we have the assurance of salvation. And this will be when we will get changed from these physical perishable bodies. When? “……at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed- 1 Cor.15:52”. This time is the very climax of the feast of trumpets, and is what makes it the most joyous day, for it marks a time of change from this short lived physical life packed with all sorts of problems, to an everlasting one which will be in all goodness. Brethren, if we don’t heed to the first phase of the trumpets, which is right now warning us of destruction, it means that, we will not repent, and so, we will not be there to rejoice in this second phase which is the second coming of our Lord, and the granting of our salvation y being changed into eternal beings. As we celebrate this year’s feast, let everyone of us awake from sleep and fully come out of Babylon. Let everyone examine themselves and see what remains of the Babylonian practices in our lives, and as we learned in the feast of unleavened bread, “remove it for our lives”, so that, when Christ comes, “ …..we may stand before Him blameless-Luke.21:36”. Lastly, let’s all rejoice during this feast, in hope of this coming time of unthinkable joy, peace and happiness, when our enemy will have been overthrown forever. May the God who chose us in Christ Jesus, making us partakers of this wonderful truth, enable us in all things. Grace and the peace of our Lord be with all of you. It is your savior, strengthening your memory in this message through his servants, and your fellow brethren,
THE ENDTIME CHURCH OF GOD,